Nesting platform trucks



March 27, 1962 A. F. GARBARINOv 3,027,174

NESTING PLATFORM TRUCKS Filed sept. 27, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 27, 1962 A. F. GARBARINO NESTING PLATFORM TRUCKS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 27, 1960 ticularly concerned with the hand-pushed type of truck which is used in moving goods over relatively short distances.

United rates Paten @ffice 3,027,174 NESTING PLATFRW TRUCKS Arnerico Frank Garbarino, West Acton, Mass., assigner to Lewis-Shepard Company, Watertown, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Sept. 27, 1960, Ser. No. 58,639 Claims. (Cl. 25o-33.99)

This invention relates to platform trucks and is par- Such trucks are often used in substantial numbers at loading stations and when idle they occupy a substantial amount of space that might be put to better advantage.

1 Accordingly, one of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a platform truck which, when not in use, may be nested closely with other trucks so that the required space during periods of non-use may be greatly reduced.

Nesting platform trucks are old and well known in the art, but the prior constructions of which I am aware have certain disabilities and disadvantages which I believe my truck substantially overcomes.

In platform trucks of the type disclosed herein, it is customary to have a relatively high vertical wall or fencelike framework at the rear end thereof. framework is mounted a handle which the operator may grasp for pulling or pushing purposes.

On this wall or The wall also acts as a barrier against which articles piled on the truck platform may be placed for greater security during movement.

In order to nest these trucks, it is essential that the wheels at one end of a given truck be spaced sutiiciently close together to pass between the wheels at the other end of a similar truck as the trucks are brought together.

Heretofore, when the platform of such a truck has been in horizontal position, the forward end thereof has thus had to rest on a relatively narrow base.

The result has been that when heavy goods have been piled unevenly on the platform, particularly at the forward corners, a

wrenching or twisting action has developed which has put heavy strains on the tapered framework, causing looseness and play to develop after relatively short periods of use. vention is to provide a base frame and platform construction which will adequately support the outer forward corners of the platform under substantial loads without Accordingly, another principal object of my inporting element for lthe platform hinged thereto, adequate anchorage and support for the rear vertical wall or fence framework, and securing means for the platform when it is in up-ended position.

Other objects of this invention will appear from the following detailed description of one present1y-preferred embodiment thereof, as shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan View of two partially nested trucks, the truck at the right having its platform in vertical position and the truck at the left having its platform in horizontal position and with part of the platform broken away for better understanding of the construction;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of three trucks in nested posi- 7 tion in which the truck at the left has its platform stlll in horizontal position;

FG. 3 is an end vertical elevation of the rear of the truck;

FIG. 4 is an end vertical elevation of the front of the truck.

In the following description, a single platform truck will first be described and then the manner in which these trucks may be nested will be explained. Referring to the several figures, each truck comprises a tapered frame composed of a pair of channel bars or members 2, i lying horizontally in the same plane and converging forwardly. The said channel bars or members 2, 4 are fixed in position with respect to each other by a cross brace or member 6 not far from the narrow end of their taper, and by a transversely extending angle iron or transverse member S of relatively heavy material, at the wide end. The attachment of the several parts is preferably by welding, although it will be understood that riveting or bolting can be used.

The horizontal portion of the angle iron or transverse member 8 is indicated at il() and the vertical portion thereof at 12. At its respective outer ends are mounted a pair of castered wheels 14, 16. These wheels i4, 16 and their supports are made adequate to carry the intended loads.

At the narrow end of the tapered channel bars or members 2, 4 and welded to the undersides thereof are two parallel, transversely-extending channel beams or cross members 1S, 26. From each pair of the adjacent ends of the said beams or cross members i8, 2@ depends a pair of wheel support forks Z2, 24, 26, 28, which, by means of suitable axles, carry wheels 3G, 32. It should be noted that the channel beams or cross members 18, 20 have their upper surfaces as at 34 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) at a level which is appreciably below respective undersides 36, 38 of the channel bars or converging members 2, 4. This is accomplished by the introduction of respective clear- -ance means or pieces fill, 42 between the said bars or converging members 2, 4i, on the one hand, and the respective crosswise beams or members 18, 2i?, on the other. rhis arrangement is essential in order to enable the cross members 18, 20 of a second truck to slide in under the longitudinal channel bars or converging members 2, 4 of the first truck.

Attached to the vertical portion 12 of the angle iron or transverse member 8 at the rear of the truck is a wall or framework 44- to which is affixed a handle 46. The framework 44 can be made and positioned in any convenient manner, but in the form shown it comprises a plurality of channel members 48, 5t), 52 welded at 54 and 56 to the rear of the vertical portion i2. A plurality of cross bars 58, 6i?, 62, all welded together, serve to provide a sufficient end barrier support for articles that may be loaded on the truck.

A platform 64 on the truck is best shown in FlGS. l and 2. It comprises a plurality of parallel boards 66 which are bound together about their periphery by four suitably-sized channel bands 68, 76, 72, 74. The rear channel band 7d has welded thereto a plurality of pipe sections 76 which are staggered thereon with respect to other pipe sections 7S which are welded to the front edge of the portion lo of the angle iron or transverse member 8. These pipe sections 76, 78, when aligned, are adapted to receive a rod 80 which passes therethrough to form what is in effect a piano-type hinge. The two outermost of the pipe sections "76, 73 may be sealed at their respective outer ends to prevent the escape of the rod S0.

From the explanation thus far, it is apparent that the platform 64 may be swung upwardly from a stable, generally horizontal, position, shown in the lefthand truck 0 of FiG. 2, to a stable, generally vertical, position, shown u? member S is made sufficiently great so that the center of gravity of the platform ddwill be far enough towar the framework 44 from the hinged edge of the said angle iron or transverse member t; so that the platform 64 will remain in tip-ended position without requiring any further latching means.

The novel construction whereby the outerrfront corner regions of the platform e4 are supported by the cross members I ti, 2d will now be explained. Referring to FlG. 4, itwill be noted that the platform has secured to the underside of its front outer corner regions a pair ofV specially-designed supports 82, d4. These supports are attachedV to the two outer corner regions of the platform (rfi` formed by the channel bands 68, 7i?, '72 by respective corner pieces $6, which are welded to the said channel bands e3, 7l?, 72 and from which depend broad strong metal strips 9b, @2, the configuration of which can be plainly seen in FiG. 4. Flat bottom portions 94, 96 of the said strips gli, 92 rest directly on the ends of the upper surface of the cross member i8 and act to extend the supporting effect of the said cross member i8 outwardly to the front corner regions of thplatform o4.

in order to prevent lateral shifting of the front end of theV platform 64 with respect to the cross members 1S, 2b, a pair of stops 9S, ldd are provided, which are welded to the respective undersides of the flat portions 94, 96 of the supports S4. Thus when the truck is moved about with a load thereon, any lateral shifting of the front erld of the platform is prevented and the overnall structural arrangement gives very substantial rigidity to the entire truck.

When the nesting is to bercarried out, theiplatformeli is swung by handto the vertical position shown in FIG. 2. This can bedone without any unlatching from the said horizontal'position or latching at thesaid vertical position. Yt/ith-therplatform in vertical position, the truck mayY then be pushed forward so that its cross beams or members i3, Ztl pass-under thechannel bars or converging members 2, i of an adjacent truck and its wheels 3ft, 32 pass betweenthe wheels ld, i8 of the other truck. This nesting movement continues until the forward ends of the channel bars 2, 4 engage the rear face of the cross brace ormember 6 of the second truck. The said cross brace or member 6 is so placed that, at this point, the channel bars or converging members 2., fi of the entering truck will substantially abut the channel bars or converging member 2, 4 of the receiving truck. Three such trucksv can thus be nested, for example, in the relatively small space indicated in FlG. 2. and, of course, greater numbers of such trucks in spaces proportionately greater.

I realize that modifications and alternative embodiments of my invention as herein disclosed will now become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains. For example, one side of my truck can be adapted to run on a track, the other side being supported by the wheels 14, E@ described, or by other vehicular' means such as, but not limited to, skis, treads, balloons, ns or pontoons. Or a free side of the truck may be made to follow a moving path with the other side resting on a pivot or a moving conveyor belt. The framework 44 can be made so much shorter than the length of the platform 64; that, when the latter is 11p-ended, the plumb line from its center of gravity falls outside the base frame of the truck; this will remain a stable position for the said platform 64, of course, as long as the plumb line 1-fromrthe center of gravity of the platform truck as a whole falls within the horizontal perimeter defined by the lowest points on the wheels 14, in, 3b, 32, or on alternative vehicular supporting means. A single support suitably extended to avoid the channel bars or converging members 2, 4 can replace the presently-preferred -two supports S2, 84. The channel bars or converging members 2, i themselves can be replaced with non-channel converging members. The stops 9S., iti@ could, of

than the upper surfaces of the said converging members;`

naaien course, be placed on the cross beams or mem ers 18, 2li, or on one of them, or elsewhere on the base frame, instead of on the platform 64. And a single stop, particularly appropriate for, but not limited to, the instance of the pivoting embodiment mentioned above, where centrifugal forces would be a problem, can be used instead of the two stops 9S, lttl.

lt is to be understood, therefore, that the foregoing language is not to be construed as limiting my invention, but that on the contrary it may be practiced broadly within the full scope of the appended claims.

l claim:

1. A nesting platform truck, comprising: two longitudinally-converging members; av .transverse member; means securing the said transverse member to the, respecf 'tive tops of the widely-spaced ends of the said converging members so that its lower surface is positioned higher a cross member; means securing the said cross member to the respective undersides of a the said converging members at their narrowly-spaced ends so that its upper surface is positioned lower than the lower surfaces of the said converging members; a platform supported by the said converging, transverse, and cross members; a hinge connecting the saidl platform swingably to the said transverse member; means operatively associated with the said transverse member limiting the swinging movement of the said platform beyondV the vertical; means supporting two corner regionsiof thesaid platform on the ends of. the said cross member when the, said platform` isV insubstantially horizontal positiong-means preventing lateral movement of the ends of the said platform with res sect to the said cross member; and'vehicular. supportmeans mountedon the ends of theV said transverse member andon the ends of the said cross member, the length of the said cross member with its vehicular supportmeans when thel latter are in operating position being less than the distance betweenrthe vertical support means .on the ends of the saiditransverse member.

.2; A nesting platform truck, as defined in clairnrl, further characteried"by a rigid base frame comprising the said converging and cross members, and completedby the said transverse member.

3. A nestingplatform truck as detinedin. claim l, further characterized by means providing a; substantially Vertical position of stability for the said platform, for purposes of nesting at least two suchtrucks together, comprising: the said hinge, horizontally oriented and positioned by the saidtransverse member a predetermined horizontal distance from the said means limiting the swinging movement-of the said platform; and the said limiting means being so positioned that it prevents rotation of the said platform pasta predetermined point ofarc, and whensaid'platform is atthatsaid point of arc, a plumb line from the center 0f gravity of the said platform falls a horizontal distance fromvthe said hinge in the direction of the said limitingmeans,

4.l A nesting platform truck as defined inclaim 1, wherein the said means limitingl the swinginfy movement of said platform is supported by the said transverse member, and serves also as an end barrier to loads carried by the` said platform.v

5. A nesting platform truck as defined in claim 4, ,where in the said end barrier means is asubstantially vertical framework.

References Cited in the tile of this-patent UNITED STATES PATENTS wmmmmm ...mmmi 

